mr. chairman , as the gentleman well knows , the gentleman from illinois ( mr. shimkus ) xz4003730 offered an amendment in the committee that struck the participatory funding language from the conference report , but at that time , i assured the gentleman from georgia and the gentleman from mississippi and several other interested congressmen in the committee that when we go to conference with the senate , we will work out language that is fair and balanced and protects the rights of the incumbent local utilities and also the independent power producers to find a fair and balanced way in which to build and maintain the transmission system for our great nation 's electricity grid . 
